What is your opinion on Parelli?

I agree! ^^

I like researching many different trainers to get as much knowledge as I can and for the most part all their techn. Are th same. You usually just get a different view or way to do it.

My opinion on Parelli? Marketable and exploited. No one can or should sell a method of training for any animal. Its simply not possible! There are so many in-s and out-s to training that any person cannot gain from reading a book or watching a DVD. Even the best videos cannot teach a person about all training all the time.
The actual Parelli "games" are sound though. Not the constant daily use, however. The friendly game: Teaches horse to be okay with you touching them and desensitized to "scary" things touching them. Porcupine game: Moving off pressure. Driving game: More advanced porcupine game because you don't touch the horse. You use this in lunging a lot. YoYo game: I don't specifically agree with the WAY they ask you to do this one, but the idea that a horse should move away from you and come close to you when you ask is good. Circling game: Using pressure from a distance to get a horse to circle around you. Lunging. Sideways game: Sidestepping. Squeeze game: I don't know, but it might just be my lack of experience that tells me this is useless.

The games are mostly credible, but not necessarily the methods they use to obtain them. Parelli has some very sound ideas, but unlike they try to convince you it is not a be-all-end-all method that everyone should use.

Thanks, I didn't know that was an option.


I really just wanted to hear some opinions, and I've been getting them. Thanks!

Being new with horses, and only knowing what my Family has taught me (My Mom was a trainer, my Grandpa is a farrier, and my Cousin bred and showed for a while) I was conflicted on the subject. Know that I know more I'll know what to look out for. I know I'll find my way to bond with my horse that suits my horse and I both splendidly.

Oh, and my Mom always tells me she was doing things that Parelli talks about back in the 80s. She jokes, "We could be rich, if only I would have not had a soul and exploited it."

LOL! It would nice to be rich!

I think it would be better for you to get as much ideas and training techn. If you rad about as many trainers you can. Whether it be Parelli, Bob Avila, Clinton Anderson, Monty Roberts or anyone else you want and make up your own way to do things.

It will help you become the best horsewoman you can be :)

The best way to bond with a horse is to go out and just brush them. I used to brush Sonador for 2 hours a day. She was only a year old so I couldn't do much else with her. Now we are about as bonded as her personality will alow us to be. Or just go into the pasture with a bucket and a book. Set the book upside down nere the hay and just read your book.

That would work well to.

[QUOTE=Tymer;909749]The actual Parelli "games" are sound though. Not the constant daily use, however. The friendly game: Teaches horse to be okay with you touching them and desensitized to "scary" things touching them. Porcupine game: Moving off pressure. Driving game: More advanced porcupine game because you don't touch the horse. You use this in lunging a lot. YoYo game: I don't specifically agree with the WAY they ask you to do this one, but the idea that a horse should move away from you and come close to you when you ask is good. Circling game: Using pressure from a distance to get a horse to circle around you. Lunging. Sideways game: Sidestepping. Squeeze game: I don't know, but it might just be my lack of experience that tells me this is useless.QUOTE]

I actually find this "game" useful. Many horses don't like going into tight spaces. It helps alot to work with your horse on passing between you and a fence for example as it can come in handy when you're loading (especially in a 2-horse trailer or smaller).
Teaching them to walk beside you and even away from you or go into the trailer on their own this way also prevents the risk of potentially being run over if the horse spooks or if you're working with a young one.

^I think the squeeze game is useful also, especially when you can get the horse to the point where he'll stop half-way going through the tight space without worrying about him exploding and trying to get out.

I hate parelli and that is putting it nicely.

I firmly believe that it creates more problems then it solves, the vast majority of problem horses I come accross are just bad mannered horses that have een "parelliized".

I've seen a horrific display put on by Pat himself where he essentialy mentally tortured a horse for an hour and then took his legs out from under him!

It has a cult like following and sells a big orange stick marketed as a "carrot stick" for £30. This amazing device can also be found for under £5 in all tack stores accross the country, commonly known as a schooling whip!

22ft feather line - £30 from parelli. Lunge line (exactly the same, just put a knot in it at 22ft) - £5 from any tack shop!

Most followers are amatures who follow it religiously and preach parelli at every one. I'm sick of having it rammed down my throaght!

Ohhh I'm a good girl I actualy managed to stay relativly polite in this post.